Happy launch anniversary, Columbus! 🥳 18 years ago today, @esa.int's Columbus laboratory ascended to orbit, nestled in Space Shuttle Atlantis. This engineering & scientific marvel became the first permanent European research facility in space. 102 000 + orbits later: www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

Silver is back with a blog post on the new orbital mechanics. It’s a bit technical, but it provides a glimpse into the deeper workings of Orbital Dawn. orbitaldawn.com/posts/2026-1...

An orbital simulation is coming to Orbital Dawn! This will enable delta-V calculations and realistic timetables for spacecraft transit time.

Development is getting back on track! Currently working on power production and consumption. Next task will be revisiting supply usage and contingency plans in case supplies are depleted.

🛰️ Preparing for liftoff – the next Galileo satellites have been mounted to their Ariane 6 dispenser that will eject them from the rocket's upper stage into their initial orbit around Earth. www.esa.int/Applications...

Congratulations to Blue Origin for a successful launch and booster recovery! Excited to see the ESCAPADE mission unfold as well.

Blue Origin are live with the second attempt to launch ESCAPADE to Mars, and maybe land the New Glenn booster. www.blueorigin.com/missions/ng-2

A #CosmicVision mission, #ESAJuice is en route to Jupiter. Juice successfully performed the world's first Lunar-Earth flyby in 2024, followed by a Venus flyby this year. The spacecraft is now on track to swing by Earth two more times and arrive at Jupiter in July 2031. 1/ #CM25

Exactly 25 years ago, at 09:21 UTC, the era of continuous human presence on the International @Space_Station began. Since Crew One took up residence in 2000, 21 @esa.int astronauts have lived and worked on this orbital outpost, conducting essential research to benefit life on Earth.

Exciting to see another Ariane 6 launch soon!

Orion on a roll 🌀 Last week, the Artemis II Orion - complete with crew module 👩‍🚀, @esa.int's European Service Module ⚡, solar arrays ☀️ + launch abort system 🛡️ - was rolled 10km to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Next step - stacking on the SLS rocket 🚀 📸: ESA-M. Born

‪🆕 Researchers combed through images from ESA's #MarsExpress and #ExoMars spacecraft to find 1039 swirling dust devils 🌪️ Using these dust devils to track raging winds on Mars, their findings include that the strongest winds blow much faster than we thought!🧪🔭 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

Today, @esa.int's Columbus lab on the International Space Station circled Earth for the 100,000th time🎉 During that time, we’ve seen: 🧳4.26 billion km travelled 🧪250+ experiments 👩‍🚀16 ESA astronauts 🥼75 m³ of lab space 🕣19,280 shifts run by the Columbus Control Centre 🔗 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

What appears to be a craggy, starlit mountaintop kissed by wispy clouds is actually a cosmic dust-scape being eaten away by the blistering winds and ultraviolet light of nearby, massive, infant stars. What else did #NASAWebb find in Pismis 24? https://bit.ly/4mr3cmt

We welcome #JAXA's interest in participating in the Ramses mission to the asteroid #Apophis, which will make a safe but exceptionally rare and scientifically valuable flyby of Earth in April 2029.

Liftoff of Ariane 6 flight #VA264 launching Metop-SG-A1 and Copernicus Sentinel-5A to orbit!

🚀 Next launch incoming... Join us live tonight (or early morning) for the next Ariane 6 flight #VA264 that will launch Metop-SG-A1 and Copernicus Sentinel-5 into orbit from 01:10 BST/02:10 CEST on esawebtv.esa.int 📅 Liftoff schedule at 01:37 BST/02:37 CEST. 🔗 www.esa.int/Applications...

Today is the 11th anniversary of the Rosetta spacecraft entering orbit around comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Rosetta and its lander Philae greatly expanded our knowledge of comets and of the origin of water on Earth.

Space Shuttle Atlantis carrying the Raffaello MPLM to ISS on STS-135. Image c/o NASA

All four Dragon crew members have now entered the International Space Station. A formal welcome ceremony is planned in about one hour. Watch live: youtube.com/live/nSm9UW7...

Midnight update: A new "remastered" version of the Orrery music is available on YouTube and Bandcamp. A stunning new soundscape invokes the serenity and wonder of outer space. www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_wF...

SpaceX Crew-11 launches in 10 minutes!

Meet Startrain and Startrain Express, the heavy launch system for taking crew to the Moon, Tiris and beyond! How far would you like to go?

📷 This NASA/ESA #Hubble Space Telescope image shows reflection nebula GN 04.32.8. Reflection nebulae are clouds of dust that don't emit their own light, as other nebulae do. Instead, light from nearby stars scatters off their dust, lighting them up. 🔗 esahubble.org/images/potw2... @stsci.edu

We cannot catch a break this summer 🥵 After a successful launch last week, we're getting ready for another one in two weeks! Ariane 6 will take Metop-SG-A1 and Copernicus Sentinel-5A to orbit on 13 August at 01:37 BST, 02:37 CEST (12 August 21:37 local time). #VA264

Working hard on updating models... Here's the improved Pisces and Fusion spacecraft, with a new docking port based on the International Docking Adapter.

Today is the 20th anniversary of the launch of STS-114. This was the 31st flight of the Discovery Space Shuttle, and the first Space Shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster. This mission brought the Rafaello MPLM and External Stowage Platform 2 to the ISS.

A perfect liftoff and smooth flight to orbit for Vega-C carrying five satellites to orbit. 🚀 Flight #VV27 liftoff occured at 23:03 local time 25 July 🛰️🛰️🛰️🛰️ CO3D will map our planet in 3D 🛰️MicroCarb will monitor carbon dioxide from space

The stream starts at 6:40pm Pacific!

🌍 🛰️ With Metop-SG-A1 now fuelled, preparations are ramping up for launch! Tune in on Monday, 28 July at esawebtv.esa.int to watch the live pre-launch media briefing, featuring experts from the Metop mission and Copernicus’s Sentinel-5A — flying as an instrument aboard the satellite.

Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on this day in 1969.

Congrats NASA for a successful launch of the TRACERS mission!

New dev blog - returning after a hiatus, new stations, new moons, and a little self reflection: www.orbitaldawn.com/posts/2025-7...

Hello from Orbital Dawn! Come build your home in the sky!